Buy the store brand

Lately, if I don't have a coupon or an item isn't on sale, it doesn't
get bought. The one exception to this rule that I will make concerns
store brands. As a general rule, the store brand of groceries are
significantly less expensive than the big name items. In the past, my
experience with these items was at best mixed. The prices were good
but the quality was spotty. Lately though, things have improved in
that category. While there are still differences to be sure between
say Cheerios and the store brand equivalent, the latter isn't bad at
all now. At this point, I can honestly say that I haven't had any bad
experiences with the store brand products that I have purchased in the
last year or so. It is possible, of course, that different stores will
use different suppliers so do your homework. At Stop n Shop, where I
go, the stuff is good.